With the re-introduction of bottom mount refrigerators in the marketplace in which the fresh food compartment is located vertically above the freezer compartment, there is a clear advantage to accessing food articles in the fresh food compartment over top mount refrigerators particularly in instances in which access to the freezer compartment is of lesser importance to a user. However, what is gained in accessibility to the fresh food compartment reduces the accessibility to the freezer compartment.
The bottom mount refrigerators on the market typically include a basket in the freezer compartment. The basket is located above the bottom floor of the freezer compartment and is either supported on side trackways mounted to the side walls of the freezer compartment or runs on guide rollers on the floor of the freezer compartment. The basket is able to be pulled out through the front opening of the freezer compartment to allow the user more ready access to food articles stored in the basket. Usually, the freezer compartment includes means to support one or more ice trays and this typically results in a stationary shelf that extends laterally across the freezer compartment above the basket. Because this shelf is stationary, access and viewing of food articles placed on the stationary shelf requires a typical user to bend over otherwise articles at the rear of the shelf are hidden from view.
There is a need to improve the access to the freezer in the bottom mount refrigerator without effecting the space design requirements for the freezer.